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Need 32mb VPS for VPN (PPTP) (not SecureDragon)
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Need 32mb VPS for VPN (PPTP) (not SecureDragon)

antivenantiven Member
edited January 2013 in General

Hi, I need a 32mb VPS with a provider that supports PPTP so I can watch Netflix while traveling. East coast preferred, but not absolutely necessary.
SecureDragon worked perfectly up till a week ago (they even have a template for PPTP and all), but now they keep blocking my VPS because of outgoing DOS attacks due to some MTU issue (My VPS's MTU is too high, so it generates 500-900 Mbps DOS attacks, per the support ticket).
Ipxcore has a 96mb vps for $1/month, so something cheaper than that would be nice.

EDIT: Since this was brought up on IRC:
"<+FreeSpencer> damian you might be getting a DDoSer on your network"
I'M NOT A DDOSER. Clearly I won't keep using the VPS if its causing problems for the network. Geez.

Comments

  • PacketVMPacketVM Member, Host Rep
    edited January 2013

    I can do something in Las Vegas, NV if you want.
    Drop me a PM

    edit: withdrawn due to DoS issue

  • AlexBarakovAlexBarakov Patron Provider, Veteran

    I don't think anyone would like ~1gbps generated DoS attack. Especially for <1$

  • If it's being ddosed then I can't give you a VPS, sorry.

  • antivenantiven Member
    edited January 2013

    Its not being DDOSed. Its generating a DOS attack because of an MTU issue with Netflix's CDN.

    EDIT: Speaking of which, could someone explain the technical details of whats going on, and why its just my VPS that generates it?

  • PacketVMPacketVM Member, Host Rep

    Withdrawn due to DoS issue.

  • So lower the MTU? Or figure out what exactly is the problem. Probably there is a workaround.

  • antivenantiven Member
    edited January 2013

    According to the ticket, if I lower the MTU I won't be able to access any other websites, just Netflix. And I don't know any workarounds.

    There has to be someone here who uses a VPS to watch Netflix...

  • what about using just ssh tunnel ?

  • How come nobody else has the MTU issue?

  • antivenantiven Member
    edited January 2013

    arieonline, Would work for my PC, but not for my iPad.

    Spencer, I have no idea...

    EDIT: I have found a provider that works, thank you.

  • mikhomikho Member, Host Rep

    I use one of securedragons 32mbs for vpn whenever I need a US ip. Never had this issue and never changed the MTU.

    I use both pptp for my ipad/iphone and ssh tunnel for my windows machines.

  • Have you accessed Netflix through the VPS in the past week or so?

  • jarjar Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    Each connection is unique, end to end. Optimal mtu settings are going to vary. It sounds to me like you just need a different provider that can make the connection with a more appropriate ping at a more appropriate setting. Not really an exact science here to be universally applied.

  • KuJoeKuJoe Member, Host Rep
    edited January 2013

    We've worked with every single one of our data center network techs and multiple senior network techs at Limelights Network (Netflix CDN) and the only "solution" we've received is from LLNW:

    move the MTU of their VPN's to 1500 or choose not to use their service at all

    This is a confirmed bug with their FreeBSD system but I have been unable to replicate it on my own PPTP VPNs so I believe it is with a specific service. Currently the highest flood has been 960Mbps but on average the flood is in the neighborhood of 100-200Mbps.

    One of our data center network techs contacted LLNW and this is what he told us:

    They reinforced the idea that their network would NOT flood your IP's unless those IP's attempted to use their service and caused an error in their system. They made it very clear that this is not intentional and completely blame the MTU of the VPN's being used.

    We have been searching for a solution for this for months now without any luck as we have 3-4 clients impacted by this bug and we have no idea why only they are triggering it (I use my PPTP VPN at least 40 hours a week and watch at least 20 hours of Netflix each week over it without any issues).

    More info from Scott @ LLNW: http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showpost.php?p=8383942&postcount=8 (BTW, the patch did not work nor do they plan to continue working on a suitable patch.)

  • KuJoeKuJoe Member, Host Rep
    edited January 2013

    That being said. I am offering $50 to anybody who can provide a working solution (I've been trying iptables rules, setting MTU to 1492, blocking ICMP, etc...).

  • Hey KuJoe, thanks for responding. I've already found an alternate system for Netflix, but I'll be keeping your VPS for regular browsing. Thanks.

  • mikhomikho Member, Host Rep

    @antiven
    I did use it this week, was two days ago. Watching one movie on my iphone.

    If interested @Kujoe we can do some tests if you would like to monitor if we get the same result when I use it.

  • @KuJoe said: That being said. I am offering $50 to anybody who can provide a working solution (I've been trying iptables rules, setting MTU to 1492, blocking ICMP, etc...).

    OpenVPN, fragment + mssfix. Do the users in question have any similarities? Same OS? All using ADSL (lowered MTU due to PPPOE)?

  • bobbybobby Member
    edited January 2013

    nevermind.

  • IshaqIshaq Member
    edited January 2013

    We could probably try and see how it goes.

  • KuJoeKuJoe Member, Host Rep

    @Kenshin said: OpenVPN, fragment + mssfix. Do the users in question have any similarities? Same OS? All using ADSL

    Unfortunately forcing the end users to install different software is not an option (although I've been told it is a valid solution).

    I believe all of the users are running our Debian + PPTP template so they are running Debian 6 32bit with pptpd configured at 1400 MTU with SNAT instead of masquerade. Unfortunately, we have hundreds of other clients running the same exact setup so I don't think it's related to the server software.

    If you mean the software they are connecting to their VPN from, then that's a good question that I haven't explored (although one of the clients that is experiencing this on a daily basis is reselling VPN services so asking them for specific details is like pulling teeth).

  • And why not just change the whole problem and use proxy (Polipo) for watching videos? This way the Flash stream will have a direct connection and only minimal data will be streamed across the VPS. At least, that's the case with BBC iPlayer and Flash. I was the most surprised when I saw something like 200 MB total bandwidth in a month after watching hours and hours of iPlayer.

    It might not work on devices, but those that support a proxy might work perfectly. For other devices the data might go through the proxy, but still, this problem wouldn't happen.

  • jarjar Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran
    edited January 2013

    @KuJoe Have you been able to reproduce the issue for yourself? Best thing I'd think you could do is, when you do hit this issue, save one of the containers with the client's permission and spin it up when you're bored, bang your head against the wall, keep at it. Quite strange, if not related to the user's end point or obvious settings (if some can pull off the exact same thing), that some would experience it and not others. If it's just a problem with Netflix servers when using this MTU value, I'd blame the end point and say "Your connection to me just isn't good enough, I can't let you do that to offset it."

  • KuJoeKuJoe Member, Host Rep

    @jarland Nope. I've been trying for 4 months without any luck. I'm on my PPTP VPN right now and have been watching Netflix for a few hours now tonight without any alarms. Once I am done setting up our new server in Denver I will try to dig in some more later tonight.

  • Try adjusting the client MTU, setting it >1400 and < 1400 to see if any of those cases can replicate what happened.

  • KuJoeKuJoe Member, Host Rep

    @Kenshin said: Try adjusting the client MTU, setting it >1400 and < 1400 to see if any of those cases can replicate what happened.

    I've not gone lower than 1400 (not sure the point in going lower if the trigger is 1500) but I have tried 1492 without any luck.

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